Nathan Gonzales

Editor and Publisher of Inside Elections
Elections Analyst for CQ Roll Call

Nathan Gonzales is Editor & Publisher of Inside Elections, which provides nonpartisan analysis of campaigns for Senate, House, governor, and president. He’s also co-host of the Inside Elections Podcast and an Elections Analyst for CQ Roll Call. He tackles elections in a nonpartisan, data-driven, and accessible way and offers audiences some of the most detailed electoral forecasting in the business.

Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Gonzales is full of enthusiasm and thought-provoking insights about politics. His recall of facts and figures is incredible, and he is natural, energetic, and engaging on stage. With a combination of reporting and data, Gonzales breaks down the key races and brings valuable context to complex elections. Drawing from personal candidate interviews and more than 20 years covering campaigns, Gonzales combines entertaining anecdotes with historical trends and current polling data to project which candidates are best-positioned to win and which party is most likely to gain control. Gonzales’ winsome approach to politics is refreshing at a time when the country is divided, and he can reliably navigate audiences with differing partisan views.

On Election Night 2016, Nathan was an on-air analyst for Newshour on PBS after working as an off-air consultant for ABC News on their Election Night Decision Desk for 14 years. Previously, he was an editor, analyst, and writer for The Rothenberg Political Report, and worked for CNN as a political analyst and as an associate producer for Capital Gang.

Gonzales has appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press and NBC Nightly News, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, NPR’s All Things Considered, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC, and has been quoted in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. His work has also appeared on FiveThirtyEight, NBCLatino.com, and in Campaigns & Elections magazine.

Gonzales grew up in Oregon, earned his Master of Arts from The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management (Washington, DC) and his bachelor of arts from Vanguard University (Costa Mesa, California). He first came to Washington, D.C. as an intern in the White House Press Office and lives in the city with his wife and four children.

Bob Blancato

Executive Director, National Association of Nutritional and Aging Services Programs
President, Matz, Blancato & Associates

Robert “Bob” Blancato is the president of Matz, Blancato & Associates in Washington, DC.

In that capacity, he serves as the Executive Director of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs, National Coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition, and the National Coordinator for Defeat Malnutrition Today coalition.

Bob’s prior work includes more than 20 years of public service including 17 years as a senior staffer in the House of Representatives. He was appointed by President Clinton to serve as the Executive Director of the 1995 White House Conference on Aging, one of four he has participated in. Bob is a member of Senior Executive Service.

Bob is recognized as a national policy advocate for older adults, and has testified on numerous occasions before Senate and House Committees, most recently in 2022 before the House Appropriations Labor-HHS Education Subcommittee.

As a volunteer, he currently serves as the second vice chair on the AARP Board of Directors, and is a member of the AARP Foundation Board. He serves on the National Hispanic Council on Aging Board, and has previously served as the chair of the American Society on Aging and on the board of the National Council on Aging. Bob has been appointed to several federal advisory commissions, most recently the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services.

Bob was inducted into the American Society of Aging’s hall of fame in 2022. In 2023, he was awarded Generations United’s highest advocacy award.

Mike Cheek

President & CEO
SNP Alliance

Mike comes to the SNP Alliance from his role as the Senior Vice President for Reimbursement and Market Strategy for the American Health Care Association/ National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). Prior to this role he was the director of Medicaid Long Term Care for the District of Columbia’s Medicaid agency, the Department of Health Care Finance. In addition, Mike has worked for three state government associations: the state Medicaid directors where he focused on eligibility and long-term care, the state developmental disabilities directors, and the state aging directors.

Mike also worked as a consultant for several years, first at The Lewin Group and later at Avalere Health, offering his expertise to states, health plans, pharmaceutical companies, and post-acute and long-term care provider organizations.

Maria Ghazal

President and CEO
Healthcare Leadership Council

Maria Ghazal serves as President and CEO of the Healthcare Leadership Council, the leading healthcare industry association representing all segments of American healthcare. Ms. Ghazal previously was Senior Vice President and Counsel for Business Roundtable (BRT), an association representing the CEOs of America’s top companies. Throughout her nearly two decades with BRT, Ms. Ghazal played a leadership role in the public policy work of the organization, including health policy, serving as the primary advocate for America’s leading corporations during the debate over the Affordable Care Act. She also directed membership outreach, recruitment, and retention, and oversaw policy development and advocacy for the Business Roundtable Corporate Governance Committee. This led to the Roundtable’s groundbreaking work on a new “Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation” which sparked a worldwide dialogue on the role of corporations in society.

Prior to joining the Business Roundtable, Ms. Ghazal was Director of Health Policy at the American Benefits Council, the leading voice for employers that offer benefits programs to their employees. Previously, she served as Director of Government Relations at Verizon and worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. Her career began as an aide to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY).

Ghazal earned a law degree from American University, a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and a bachelor’s degree from Bates College. She has testified before Congress and the SEC and is a frequent speaker at national conferences. She is a member of the Massachusetts and District of Columbia Bar Associations, Health on Wednesday, the Tax Coalition, and Women Corporate Directors. In addition, Ms. Ghazal is a founding member of Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy Advisory Board and serves on the Advisory Board of the Wake Forest University Center for the Study of Capitalism.

Ipyana Spencer

Chief Health Officer
Meals on Wheels America

Ipyana is the Chief Health Officer with Meals on Wheels America. In her role, she oversees the development and growth of Meals on Wheels Health, a newly created division of Meals on Wheels America that partners with health care payors and health systems to expand the impact and scope of local Meals on Wheels services to seniors and vulnerable adults who are managing multiple chronic conditions or recovering from recent hospitalizations.

Ipyana comes to Meals on Wheels America with more than 20 years of diverse, cross industry experience across the legislative, public policy, health care and data analytics arenas.

Ipyana’s experience in the healthcare sector includes eight years at the country’s largest health and wellness company, UnitedHealth Group. Ipyana worked as the Vice President of Industry Outreach and External Affairs, where she was responsible to cultivating relationships with key external advocacy and consumer organizations to promote policy and regulatory priorities of UnitedHealth Group. She also served as the Vice President of Community and Strategic Engagement of UnitedHealthcare Community and State, where she established and managed a team to lead and support strategic initiatives that aligned with the Medicaid division’s business development and growth priorities.

Prior to joining UnitedHealth Group, Ipyana worked in the legislative, political, and public policy sectors for almost a decade.  She served as a senior legislative staffer to U.S. Senator Charles Schumer and U.S. Congresswoman Nita Lowey, both of New York. She also was the Deputy Finance Director on the U.S. Senate and 2004 Presidential Campaign for U.S. Senator John Edwards of North Carolina. Ipyana also worked as a Government Affairs Consultant where she advised, crafted and executed legislative and regulatory outreach strategies for her clients.

Ipyana received a Master’s in Public Policy, with a Non Profit Management concentration, from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and her BA in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania.

Susan Dentzer

President and Chief Executive Officer
America’s Physician Groups

Susan Dentzer is President and Chief Executive Officer of America’s Physician Groups, the nonprofit organization representing more than 360 large physician groups focused on patient-centered, coordinated, and integrated health care that is accountable for both costs and quality. Dentzer is a highly respected health and health policy thought leader, a frequent speaker and commentator, and an author of commentaries in Modern Healthcare, the New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst, the American Journal of Public Health, and other prominent publications.  She is also the editor and lead author of the book Health Care Without Walls: A Roadmap for Reinventing U.S. Health Care.  She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the Council on Foreign Relations and is a fellow of the National Academy of Social Insurance and the Hastings Center.  Dentzer graduated from Dartmouth and also holds a master’s degree in health care delivery science from the institution.  She is a trustee emerita of Dartmouth, chaired the institution’s Board of Trustees from 2001-2004, and served on the board of Dartmouth Health as well as the Board of Advisors of the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.

Dentzer serves on the advisory boards of the Robert J. Margolis Center for Health Policy at Duke University; the Center for Global Health Equity at Dartmouth; and the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California – San Francisco (UCSF).  From March 2021-March 2023, Dentzer chaired the Board of Directors of Research!America, which advocates for health-related research, and formerly chaired the board of the Global Health Council.  Dentzer was also a longtime member of the Board of Directors of the International Rescue Committee, the organization that works in more than 40 countries to help those affected by humanitarian crises survive and rebuild their lives, and currently serves on IRC’s Board of Advisors.  

Jane Gilbert

Senior Federal Strategies Liaison
Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Kentucky (TRS)

Jane Gilbert is currently the Senior Federal Strategies Liaison for the Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Kentucky (TRS) and has served TRS retirees since April 2002.   She serves as a leader in the areas of health insurance cost containment, project management, risk management and federal health care solutions for the retiree health plan covering 38,000 Medicare eligible retirees.

Ms. Gilbert served in management and directorship positions for a Louisville Kentucky law firm and cost containment company, The Rawlings Company, from 1989 through 2002.  Prior to serving at The Rawlings Company, she worked as an accountant for a national CPA firm.  

Ms. Gilbert graduated with honors from Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting in 1987, became a CPA in 1992, and achieved her Certified Government Benefits Administrator (CGBA) designation in 2012, now Lifetime status.  Ms. Gilbert served on the Board of the State and Local Government Benefits Association, is a proud member of the Public Sector Healthcare Roundtable and she currently serves on the Board and as Co-Chair of the Kentuckiana Health Collaborative.  

Jonathan Blum

Principal Deputy Administrator & Chief Operating Officer,
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Jonathan (Jon) Blum currently serves as the Principal Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). In this dual role, Jon oversees CMS’s program policy planning and implementation and day-to-day operations of the entire agency. CMS’s programs provide health coverage to more than 150 million individuals, spending more than $1.7 trillion in annual benefits with an annual operating budget of more than $7 billion.  

This is Jon’s second time serving in a senior leadership position at CMS. He previously served as the Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center of Medicare from 2009 – 2014, leading the agency’s Medicare payment and delivery reform strategies and the policy and program management of the Medicare program.

Jon has more than 25 years of public- and private-sector experience working in health care policy and administration. In addition to his positions at CMS, he has worked as a strategy and management consultant, an Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, professional staff at the Senate Finance Committee, and a program analyst at the Office of Budget and Management. 

Prior to joining CMS, Jon served on several nonprofit boards with missions to improve access and equity to health care and health coverage, including Mary’s Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center; the Primary Care Coalition of Montgomery County; and the Medicare Rights Center.

Jon earned a Master of Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania.

Misha Segal

Managing Director
Berkeley Research Group (BRG)

Misha Segal has twenty years of healthcare policy, finance, and data analytics experience in the government, at research institutions, and in the finance industry.

Since joining BRG in late 2016, he has led over one hundred projects on issues including capitated payment design, Medicare Advantage and Part D policy, Medicare physician services and post-acute care, behavioral health, and adolescent health issues. Representative clients have included financial institutions, provider groups and health systems, and advocacy groups.

Before joining BRG, Mr. Segal spent seven years at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), where he served as director of the Policy and Data Analytics Group. While at CMS, he supported a broad range of initiatives, including alternative payment models, reimbursement issues, episodes of care, and geographic variation for the traditional Medicare program; Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D policy, risk adjustment, and spending issues; data and financial issues for the public exchanges; and general support to senior leadership on areas where the capital markets and CMS policies intersected. Prior to CMS, Mr. Segal spent several years as a healthcare policy analyst at the Urban Institute, and also worked in finance for Bank of America and a boutique private equity firm.

Mr. Segal has written nearly twenty policy papers, including eight that were peer reviewed. Recently, he served as a technical expert and advisor on the North Carolina multi-payer healthcare cost-growth project, and led the quantitative work for the white paper Pain in the Nation: The Drug, Alcohol and Suicide Epidemics and the Need for a National Resilience Strategy, which was commissioned by Robert Wood Johnson and the Well Being Trust. He received his MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

Boris Vabson, PhD

Health Economist and Faculty Member
Harvard Medical Center, American Enterprise Institute, and
the USC-Schaeffer Center

Boris Vabson, PhD is a health economist and faculty member at Harvard Medical Center, as well as a nonresident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the USC-Schaeffer Center for Health Policy. He is a leading academic and policy expert on the Medicare program, with a particular focus on Medicare Advantage. His research has tackled a range of key MA issues, while also demonstrating the superiority of Medicare Advantage over Traditional Medicare across a number of dimensions. He has also done substantial work on payment and plan design, including research demonstrating the benefits of managed care and at-risk payment arrangements. His work has been published in leading academic journals, featured in major press outlets, and cited extensively by federal regulators and legislators. 

Alongside his academic work, he has worked closely with policy and industry stakeholders to develop new and innovative plan and payment designs, and ultimately drive improved business and policy outcomes. He has partnered closely with major payer, provider, and life sciences organizations.

Boris received his Ph.D. in Applied Economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and his AB from Dartmouth College. 

Ellen Lukens

Deputy Director
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation

Ellen Lukens is the Deputy Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMS Innovation Center).

In this role, Ms. Lukens leads policy development at the CMS Innovation Center. Ms. Lukens has deep experience both within and outside the government tackling complex health policy issues. Prior to this role, Ellen served as the Group Director of the Policy and Programs Group (PPG) within the CMS Innovation Center, where she led the team that provides cross-cutting support for Center-wide policy and portfolio management, including related to the Advanced Payment Model (APM) portion of the Medicare and Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA).

Ms. Lukens also served as the Division Director for Ambulatory Payment models, where she led development of specialty care models, including the Oncology Care Model. Prior to joining CMS, Ms. Lukens led the Provider Practice at Avalere Health. In that role, she worked with hospitals, physician groups, and post-acute care providers on many policy and strategy issues, including developing analytic tools to improve performance and to evaluate participation in CMMI models. Prior to Avalere, Ms. Lukens held policy roles in hospital associations. Ms. Lukens began her health policy career as Presidential Management Fellow at CMS. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and a Masters in Public Health from the University of Michigan.

Rebecca Kirch

Executive Vice President of Policy and Programs
National Patient Advocate Foundation

Rebecca Kirch provides strategic focus and leadership in bringing the millions of patient and family voices NPAF and PAF represent to the forefront of national health care quality improvement efforts.

She previously worked 15 years at the American Cancer Society and its advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. As the Society’s first director of  quality of  life  and  survivorship,  she orchestrated  the development of  its  national  agenda  addressing pain, symptoms, and distress experienced by patients, survivors, and caregivers. She created collaborative initiatives in research, programs, and advocacy for integrated palliative, psychosocial, and rehabilitation services, as well as enhanced clinical communication skills.

Rebecca also played a leading role in planning and executing the Institute of Medicine 2015 joint workshop “Comprehensive Cancer Care for Children and Families” and the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine’s Quality Care for People with Serious Illness Roundtable 2017 workshop on “Integrating Patient and Family Voices in Serious Illness Care.” She also serves as Quality of Life and Person-Centered Care’s task force co-chair for the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and a board member for children’s oncology care camps.

Juliet Choi

President & CEO
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF)

Juliet K. Choi is the president and Chief Executive Officer of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), a national health justice organization which influences policy, mobilizes communities, and strengthens programs and organizations to improve the health of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. 

She is an accomplished cross-sector leader and coalition builder who specializes in change management, system reform and stakeholder relations, particularly in the areas of immigration, civil rights, healthcare and disaster relief. 

A senior executive, she served in the Obama administration as the former chief of staff and senior advisor of two federal agencies: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to her political appointments, she led disaster relief operations and strategic partnerships at the American Red Cross as a member of the disaster leadership team. 

She has previously worked at the Partnership for Public Service, Asian American Justice Center, Mental Health America, and a Fortune 500 corporation. Juliet received her law school’s Alumni Association Award for Leadership and Character and Rising Star Alumnus Award. Currently, she serves on the board of the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.

A certified mediator, Juliet received her J.D. from University of Maryland School of Law and clerked for the Hon. Dennis M. Sweeney (ret.) of the Circuit Court for Howard County, Maryland. She received her B.A. in Economics from University of Virginia. 

Molly Schild

Director, Public Policy
CVS Health

As a member of the Government Affairs Public Policy team at CVS Health, Molly is responsible for managing federal and state public policy issues related to dual eligible individuals and Special Needs Plan (SNPs) for Aetna. This includes leading legislative and regulatory analysis and advocacy planning.  

Molly has been with CVS Health and previously Aetna for over 15 years. She’s held numerous roles within the business including Chief Medicare Officer for the Aetna MidSouth Market during which time she had P&L responsibility for North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. 

Prior to joining Aetna, Molly held the position of Special Assistant to the Administrator at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). In this role, she served as the Administrator’s liaison with senior CMS staff in carrying out priority regulatory and public affairs projects. 

She has also worked on Capitol Hill as a member of the health staff for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.  

As a native Iowan, she got her start in politics by working on several political campaigns while getting her degree at the University of Iowa. 

Gabe Isaacson

Associate Partner
McKinsey & Company

Gabe Isaacson is an Associate Partner with McKinsey. Based in Pittsburgh, Gabe is a leader in the Medicare practice, serving payers, brokers, providers, and investors on topics across the Medicare value chain, with a specific focus on Medicare strategy, distribution, and product topics.

June Simmons

President & CEO
Partners in Care Foundation

June Simmons, an esteemed health care executive, stands at the forefront of patient-centered care integration. As the founding President and CEO of Partners in Care Foundation, she has pioneered evidence-based interventions, transformative medication management, chronic condition support, and seamless care transitions. Partners collaborates with organizations to shape a visionary health care landscape, emphasizing community-based services and forging robust partnerships. June’s contributions have garnered national acclaim, including her pivotal role as Co-Chair of the Partnership to Align Social Care—a beacon of transformative impact.

Bill Finerfrock

Co-Founder
National Association of Rural Health Clinics (NARHC)

Prior to his retirement in 2022, Mr. Finerfrock worked in and with the U.S. Congress and Federal agencies on health policy matters for more than 45 years.  

From January 1 2014 until July 2022, Finerfrock was the owner of Capitol Associates, a government relations/health policy consulting firm based in Alexandria, Virginia. Prior to taking ownership of the Company, he was a senior Vice President of the firm, specializing in rural health, health workforce and Medicare and Medicaid payment policy.   

Finerfrock is the Co-founder of the National Association of Rural Health Clinics (NARHC) a non-profit organization representing the interests of federally certified Rural Health Clinics and the patients they serve.  He served as NARHC’s Executive Director from its inception in 1993 until his retirement in 2022.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the NARHC Research and Education Foundation.   

Finerfrock is also on the Board of Directors of Movement Is Life (MiL), a non-profit multi-disciplinary organization seeking to eliminate health disparities among women in muscle and joint health, due to race, ethnicity gender or geography.   

In his spare time, Finerfrock serves as the Springfield Representative and Vice Chair of the Fairfax County Healthcare Advisory Board.  

Finerfrock is a 1977 graduate of Penn State University.  He has a degree in Political Science. 

Kristen Lunde

Director of Managed Care Strategy and Operations
ATI Advisory

Before joining ATI, Lunde served as Health Policy Advisor for the Senate Finance Committee. In this role, she led the legislative portfolio and served as a technical expert on hospital, post-acute, and hospice care under Medicare Part A as well as rural health, health workforce, and health innovation issues. During her time with the committee, Lunde was involved in major legislative efforts, including the CARES Act, the American Rescue Plan, and multiple year-end bills advancing Medicare and elder justice priorities. Prior to this, she was a David A. Winston Health Policy Fellow. Lunde also has experience in performance improvement consulting, insurance benefit design, and public health program implementation.

Lunde has a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Jim Rechtin

President & CEO
Humana

Jim Rechtin, President and Chief Executive Officer, joined Humana in January 2024, having served as President and Chief Operating Officer until July 2024. Under his leadership, Humana operates as a leading integrated care delivery model centered on improving health outcomes, driving lower costs, enhancing quality, and providing a simple and personalized member and patient experience.

Jim brings to Humana a strong combination of operational, industry and CEO expertise. His first-hand experience leading through the challenges and opportunities of a changing health care services continuum will help accelerate our integrated care strategy at pace.

Prior to joining Humana, Jim served as President and CEO at Envision Healthcare. He has more than 22 years of health care experience with a focus on the delivery of value-based care in various medical group settings, including a deep understanding of Medicare Advantage. Prior to joining Envision, Jim served as President of OptumCare, part of UnitedHealth Group. Before that, Jim was with DaVita Medical Group, which he joined in 2014 and played the dual roles of Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy and President of DaVita Medical Group’s California market. Further, he is a 14-year veteran of Bain & Company, highlighting his depth of experience in health care mergers and the overall health care sector.

Early in his career, Jim ran operations for a nonprofit health and human services clinic in Indianapolis, Indiana, and served in the United States Peace Corps in the Republic of Congo. He received a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts from DePauw University.

Esther Conteh

Vice President of Care Management
VNS Health, Health Plans

Esther Conteh, APRN, MSN, PCC, is Vice President of Care Management at VNS Health Health Plans. Esther’s goal throughout her career has always been to simplify care and help members navigate the complex health care system so they feel more in control of their health and well-being. 

Growing up in Sierra Leone, West Africa with parents who were healthcare workers and educators, she saw how critically important caregivers were to their community, sparking her desire to change lives through compassionate care. Years later in New York City she started in home care as a home health aide at VNS Health, one of the country’s largest home and community based health nonprofits. Seeing firsthand the transformative ways home care could meet the many needs of patients, Esther worked to become a home care nurse, balancing work, school, and education along the way. 

Now as a Vice President of Care Management, Esther has a unique role overseeing clinicians and care managers, collaborating with her team to develop individualized care for the thousands of diverse members they serve. Working primarily with VNS Health Health Plan MAP and MLTC members, Esther and her team serve individuals who often require care for multiple illnesses, and they frequently find themselves addressing challenges members may face when it comes to things as basic as access to food and housing. As health care faces growing challenges ranging from the long-term impacts of the pandemic to a rapidly aging population, to shortages in clinical staffing, Esther is an example of the compassionate clinicians advocating for innovation in home health.

Duana Patton

Chief Executive Officer
Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging, Inc.

Duana Patton has been with the Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging, Inc. for 30 years and as CEO since 2006.   She has spent her career in executive leadership in the non-profit sector ranging from workforce development to aging. Under Duana’s leadership the organization has grown by expanding programs and increasing revenues through innovation and collaboration.  

Duana is a certified Strategic Agile Organizational Leadership coach, an Executive Coach, a certified John Maxwell speaker, and a certified emerging leader coach. Duana has spoken at local, state, and national events on the topics of leadership, board governance, strategic planning, housing development, aging and long-term care.

Duana serves on numerous local, state, and national boards including a local hospital governance board and The USAging Board where she contributes her knowledge of aging, non-profit management, leadership, and business development.  

Duana holds a bachelor’s in business management and an MBA in Healthcare Management both from The Western Governors University.

Allison Rizer

Executive Vice President of Payer Solutions
ATI Advisory

Allison Rizer is Executive Vice President of Payer Solutions with ATI Advisory. She is a nationally recognized expert in dual eligible policy and brings over 20 years of experience to ATI Advisory, including 15 years focused on managed care and government programs. Prior to ATI, Rizer most recently served as Vice President of Health Policy & Strategy with UnitedHealthcare, where she led the organization’s national policy efforts specific to individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. In this role, she worked closely with state and national health plan leadership, policymakers, and other experts to inform sustainable program design and growth strategies.

Rizer previously served as a Medicaid Policy Director, working with individual states and Medicaid health plans to provide strategic guidance on emerging policy and program trends. She also spent seven years with The Lewin Group, leading federal contracts with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and other agencies across programs targeting older adults and people with disabilities, with a particular focus on Medicare Advantage and Special Needs Plans. Rizer has spoken at dozens of national conferences and participated in expert working groups on issues across Medicare and Medicaid. Rizer received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from George Mason University, a Master of Health Science in Health Policy from Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, and a Master of Business Administration in Health Care from the University of St. Thomas.

Nancy LeaMond

Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer
AARP

As AARP’s executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer, Nancy LeaMond has responsibility for driving the organization’s social mission on behalf of Americans 50-plus and their families. Nancy leads government affairs and legislative campaigns for AARP, widely seen as one of the most powerful advocacy organizations in the country. She also manages public education programs, community engagement, and AARP’s network of 18,000 volunteers. Nancy’s team includes 700 staff members across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

Nancy has led several landmark advocacy campaignsfor AARP including the most recent Fair Drug Prices Now campaign, successfully advancing legislation that will deliver significant – potentially life-changing – savings to millions of Americans who today are struggling to pay for their medication.  Furthermore, AARP’s 2022 Our Voices voter education campaign helped ensure that America’s older voters continued to maximize their influence this year as they have for decades.  Other campaigns have protected Medicare and maintained important consumer protections under the Affordable Care Act, demanded that candidates for national office commit to addressing challenges facing Social Security and Medicare, fought major home energy cost increases, and put health care and financial security at the top of the country’s agenda. 

Nancy has been named by The Hill as one of the “Top Lobbyists” every year since 2011. This year Nancy was recognized as one of the Washingtonian’s most influential people for her advocacy on public healthcare issues and named by the National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics as one its 2022 Top Lobbyists. In 2020, she received the first ever Lifetime Achievement award from the Women in Government Relations. The National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics also named Nancy one of its 2020 Top Lobbyists. In 2016, she received the What’s Next Boomer Business Innovation Award for Vision, Leadership and Integrity, and she was named one of Next Avenue’s 2017 Influencers in Aging. 

Nancy is a nationally recognized leader on health, retirement security and other issues important to older Americans. Prior to coming to AARP, Nancy served as the chief of staff and assistant U.S. trade representative for congressional affairs at the Office of the United States Trade Representative.  She worked extensively on health care and pension issues before entering the trade field, beginning her career in the Public Health Service, the Medicaid program and the Department of Commerce. She also served in the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Education, and on Capitol Hill as chief of staff to a senior member of Congress.  Nancy holds a bachelor’s degree from Smith College and a master’s degree in public policy and city planning from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Tom Bednar

Senior Vice President & Counsel
Healthsperien

Tomas offers a wide range of experience in health care regulatory and policy topics, particularly from a health plan perspective. He has significant expertise in Medicaid/Medicare Managed Care, coverage of dual eligibles, and policy approaches to addressing social determinants of health.

Prior to joining Healthsperien, Tomas worked as the Industry Affairs Manager at the AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies. There he managed a team of analysts responsible for the tracking and analysis of federal regulatory and legislative efforts as well as industry-wide Medicaid, Medicare, and prescription drug policy trends. He was responsible for the development of policy positioning on key issues, the management of relationships with national trade associations, and providing direct support to senior leadership in the development of corporate strategy. He also held a position within the corporate compliance department where he helped all lines of business implement federal regulatory changes.

Prior to his time at AmeriHealth Caritas, Tomas was a public interest attorney in Philadelphia, PA, where he worked for the Legal Clinic for the Disabled (LCD). At LCD Tomas directed two medical-legal partnerships – one targeting the needs of low-income cancer patients in an outpatient radiation oncology clinic, and the second working with chronically homeless individuals at a federally qualified health center. He represented his clients in a wide range of legal issues, including SSI/SSDI, unsecured debt relief, insurance appeals, landlord tenant disputes, and family law issues.

Tomas has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and English as well as a Masters in Bioethics from the University of Pittsburgh. He also has a Juris Doctorate from Temple University and is admitted to practice in the state of Pennsylvania.

Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT)

House Ways and Means Committee
House Budget Committee

A native of Ogden, Blake Moore is a proactive problem solver committed to representing each and every constituent of Utah’s First District. He is dedicated to reflecting Utah’s values in Congress and finding solutions to the challenges facing the district and the state. Advocating for inclusive, pro-growth, and aspirational principles, Blake is amplifying Northern Utah’s voice on a national level to ensure Utahns receive the service and representation they deserve.

Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL)

House Committee on Energy and Commerce
House Budget Committee

Darren Soto was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016 to represent Florida’s Ninth Congressional District, which includes all of Osceola and parts of Orange and Polk Counties.

Born to a Puerto Rican father and an Italian American mother, Darren’s upbringing influenced his passion for public service and helping those in need. After learning the value of hard work from his parents, Darren graduated from Rutgers University and the George Washington University School of Law.

Upon graduation, Darren opened his own practice in Central Florida, where he practiced family law, civil litigation, and real estate law.

With a desire to further help the men and women he advocated for as a lawyer, Darren entered public service in 2006 when he was appointed to serve on the Orlando Civil Service Board and as the treasurer and vice president of communications for the Orange County Young Democrats. Soon thereafter, he was elected to the state House and later to the state Senate. Serving in the Florida Legislature for a decade, he fought to create high-paying jobs, increase access to higher education and ensure clean water, land, and air for his constituents. Darren spearheaded the passage of landmark legislation to protect families of fallen firefighters, give victims of sexual assault more time to report their attackers, and allow Dreamers to be admitted to the Florida Bar.

In 2016, he took his public service to a national level after being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. In his first term in Congress, he passed the most laws of any Freshman Member in the House. Now in his fourth term, Darren has established himself as a strong advocate for the environment, hurricane relief, emerging technologies, and the fight to protect the health and safety of his constituents.

He currently serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Committee on Agriculture. Additionally, Darren is the Co-Chair of Policy of the Future Forum Caucus, Vice Chair of Policy of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and a proud member of the New Democrat Coalition, Problem Solvers Caucus, Congressional Progressive Caucus, LGBTQ Equality Caucus, and others.

The first Floridian of Puerto Rican descent to serve in Congress, Darren is proud to represent the hard-working men and women who make Central Florida’s theme parks world-renowned, who grow more citrus and raise more cattle than anywhere else in the state, and who explore the farthest reaches of the galaxy from the Kennedy Space Center. From fighting for the needs of Central Floridians and our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico to being a strong voice on healthcare and the environment, Darren is proud to serve his fellow Americans and the constituents of Florida’s Ninth Congressional District. His hobbies include playing guitar, pastel painting, and kayaking.

Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY)

Chair of the Health Subcommittee
House Energy and Commerce Committee

Congressman Brett Guthrie represents Kentucky’s Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Second District is the home of the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, Mammoth Cave National Park, and Fort Knox.

Guthrie serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The Energy and Commerce Committee is the oldest standing legislative committee in the House with broad jurisdiction over our nation’s energy, health care, telecommunications, and consumer product safety policies. Guthrie is Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee. He also serves on the Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

Recognized for his proven leadership, Guthrie was also appointed to serve a third term as a Deputy Whip within the House Republican Conference for the 118th Congress.

Guthrie graduated in 1987 from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and went on to serve as a Field Artillery Officer in the 101st Airborne Division – Air Assault at Fort Campbell. Guthrie later earned a Master’s Degree from Yale University in Public and Private Management.

Following his military service, he joined Trace Die Cast, the Bowling Green, Ky., based manufacturing business that was started by his father.

First elected to public office in 1998, Guthrie represented the 32nd District in the Kentucky Senate until being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008.

Married to the former Beth Clemmons, they have three children, Caroline, Robby and Elizabeth. Brett and Beth are also the proud grandparents of Rowan and Laine, daughters of Caroline and her husband Ryan, and Oliver, son of Robby and his wife Jessica.

Chris Davis

Senior Vice President
Capitol Hill Consulting Group

Chris Davis joined Capitol Hill Consulting Group as Senior Vice President in 2022. Prior to joining CHCG, Chris served as Government Affairs Principal at Cigna and Director of Government Affairs at Express Scripts. At Cigna, Chris was deeply involved in issues related to the employer and individual health insurance markets, Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage, pharmacy benefit managers, drug pricing, and TRICARE. During his tenure, Chris prepared executives to testify in Congressional hearings in several House and Senate Committees and led advocacy efforts to enact legislation that will promote competition in the biosimilar marketplace.

Chris has years of experience working with executives and business units to develop policy priorities and execute strategic goals. He is also very active in the political side of Washington and comes to CHCG with deep relationships across the House and Senate and the healthcare stakeholder community.

Prior to joining Express Scripts, Chris spent five years at the Generic Pharmaceutical Association (now the Association for Accessible Medicines) advocating on behalf of the generic and biosimilar industries. While at GPhA, Chris was actively involved in the passage of the first generic drug and biosimilar use fee programs, the federal track and trace law, and federal compounding framework. He also helped lead the industry’s efforts to protect the generic and biosimilar pathways during consideration of the 21^st Century Cures Act.

Chris started his career in Washington with former Congressman Rick Boucher (D-VA), a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, serving in several positions including Legislative Director. Chris handled health care, consumer protection, and judiciary policy for Congressman Boucher, including during the Committee’s consideration of the Affordable Care Act.

Chris holds degrees in Political Science and Philosophy from Duke University and remains active in the alumni community, serving on the board of the Duke Policy and Politics Network (DPPN).

Brian Sutter

Partner & CEO
Capitol Hill Consulting Group

Brian Sutter joined the Capitol Hill Consulting Group in 2015.  Mr. Sutter joined CHCG from the Ways and Means Committee where he served as Staff Director for the Health Subcommittee under Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI).

During his tenure on the Health Subcommittee, Mr. Sutter was actively engaged in crafting a broad range of health care policy.  Mr. Sutter worked with Members of Congress, House and Senate leadership and committee and staff to address some of the most pressing health care issues.  As a result of these efforts, Mr. Sutter was directly involved with a group of bipartisan, bicameral staff in the development and passing of several bills that were signed into law by President Obama.

Mr. Sutter’s expertise in Medicare and success in shepherding several bills through the legislative process successful has made him a trusted advisor for congressional staff.  He was key to crafting legislation leading to major reform of Medicare’s Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) that later passed as the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA).  Prior to the enactment of MACRA, Mr. Sutter led the development of Congressional priorities for the SGR replacement over two years, with three laws providing relief from SGR cuts, numerous hearings, drafts, public feedback and listening sessions under his watch.

Mr. Sutter was also instrumental in shaping legislation to eliminate or redefine portions of the Affordable Care Act.  These changes include the inclusion of income verification for individuals receiving health care subsidies as part of the agreement to reopen the government in 2013; changes to the employer mandate to define 40 hours as the standard work week; and redefining how expatriate American workers living abroad are able to obtain health care.  He also staffed then Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp, the Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, and Representative Jeb Hensarling for the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (also referred to as the Simpson Bowles Commission) in 2010.

Mr. Sutter served as Professional Staff for the Health Subcommittee, working primarily on Medicare Advantage, Medigap, and Part D.  Prior to joining the Ways and Means Committee, Mr. Sutter served as Legislative Director in addition to several other positions for Congressman Camp.